1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral having two or more of the functions of the copier, the printer, and the facsimile and is provided with the cleaning device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral including two or more of the functions of the copier, the printer, and the facsimile, the toner is left behind on the surface of a photoconductor or an intermediate transfer belt that are examples of a member to be cleaned, after the toner is transferred onto a transfer sheet.
A cleaning device is provided in the image forming apparatus to remove such remaining substances from the surface of the member to be cleaned. Some cleaning devices include a cleaning member for removing the remaining substances from the surface of the member to be cleaned, and a conveying member for conveying the removed remaining substances outside of the cleaning device.
According to the disclosure in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-101816, once transfer is completed, a cleaning blade 201, a cleaning brush 202, and a brush roller 203 abutting against a cleaned body 200 scrape off the toner T remaining on the surface of the cleaned body 200, as illustrated in FIG. 15. The scraped toner T is conveyed from the cleaning blade 201 to the brush roller 203, and conveyed further to the cleaning brush 202.
A flicker 204 abutting against the cleaning brush 202 flicks off the toner T remaining in the cleaning brush 202 from the cleaning brush 202 into a waste toner conveying coil 205, and the waste toner conveying coil 205 conveys the toner outside of the cleaning device.
A partitioning member 206 is positioned between the cleaning brush 202 and the waste toner conveying coil 205. When the flicker 204 flicks the toner T off from the cleaning brush 202, the partitioning member 206 prevents the toner T having not reached the waste toner conveying coil 205 from flying away and being scattered again on the cleaned body 200 and the like. This structure allows the cleaning device to remove more toner from the cleaned body 200.
With the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-101816, however, the toner T flicked by the flicker 204 may fly away to directions other than the waste toner conveying coil 205, and land on the surface of the cleaned body 200 again without reaching the partitioning member 206, so that the toner T is not collected very efficiently.
In view of the above-mentioned problem, there is a need to provide a cleaning device capable of cleaning the toner and the like on the surface of the cleaned body more efficiently.